The present invention relates generally to a novel antibacterial compound and a method for production thereof. More specifically, the invention relates the antibiotic XK-99 and the fermentative production thereof using a novel strain of microorganism belonging to the genus Micromonospora.
Antibacterial compounds exhibiting a broad spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are always in demand. To this end, a new strain of microorganism (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "MK-99 strain") has been isolated from farm soil at Iwato in Komae City, Tokyo, Japan. In a biologically pure culture, the MK-99 strain produces a novel antibacterial compound, XK-99, which exhibits broad spectrum activity.